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Huawei MediaPad M3 review: The new 8in tablet king?

Huawei is on top form right now, with a clutch of superlative smartphones under its belt in 2016, but now the Chinese giant is attempting to repeat that success with its latest tablet. And going by what I’ve seen of new MediaPad M3, it looks dead set to snatch the premium compact tablet crown for itself.

Imagine a supersized version of Huawei’s P9 smartphone, and you’re half-way there. That familiar curved metal back is complemented by subtle white detailing running across the width and sides, and while it doesn’t look dramatically different to its predecessor, the Mediapad M2, those little design tweaks have seen it emerge looking even more handsome in 2016. The logo has changed a touch; the speakers have shifted around a bit; and a new fingerprint reader now makes an appearance underneath the screen.

Display

The 8.4in 2,560 x 1,600 display will grab your attention right off the bat. It’s wonderfully bright at 420cd/m2 and with an sRGB colour gamut coverage of 94%, it’s simply oozing with bold, saturated colours – it’s great for watching movies on. Viewing angles are respectable too, and you shouldn’t have to squint too much using it outside in the British sun. The only downside? It picks up fingerprints like there’s no tomorrow, so you’d be advised to keep a cleaning cloth close to hand.

Camera

Huawei has equipped the MediaPad M3 with a pair of 8-megapixel cameras. There’s none of the Leica-endorsed dual-sensor trickery that made the Huawei P9 so awesome, but the MediaPad M3’s snappers are still capable of producing some pretty decent looking photographs. There was plenty of detail to our test shots, and while low light seems rather heavy-handed noise reduction smearing over fine details, this is a very respectable performance compared to its closest rivals.